Wednesday, July 28

When Not To Roast Red Peppers

I woke up the other morning craving roasted red pepper soup. Not for breakfast -- that would be weird -- but for dinner.

Since I had recently purchased a dozen bright and shiny red bell peppers, I thought it would be a good idea to roast them first thing in the morning. So by 6:15 am, the peppers were sliced, drizzled with oil, and placed under the broiler.

Like wood-fired pizzas or chargrilled burgers, the smell of roasting peppers is utterly enticing. Except when it's not.

You see, that utterly enticing aroma becomes not-so-enticing by three o'clock in the afternoon. You can light vanilla scented candles (which I did) and spray air freshener (which I did). It won't matter. The smell will linger like an unwanted house guest.

So here's my advice: Make roasted peppers only after 12 noon. And then make this soup because it's too delicious to pass up. You could make it with jarred roasted peppers and canned corn, but don't. Roast the peppers. Cut the kernels off the sweet corn. Chop the fresh cilantro. Sure, it will take longer, but you'll be rewarded. This soup is wonderfully spicy, smoky, and sweet. Plus, it's topped with a crunchy, tangy corn salsa that's good enough to eat by the spoonful.

And if you're looking for something to sop up the last of the soup in your bowl, then make a loaf of this Jalapeno and Cheddar Cornbread. It works deliciously.

1. Pre-heat oven broiler. Line one large or two small rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil. Slice peppers in half. Clean out the seeds. Place cut-side down on prepared baking sheet. Remove corn from husks, discarding all silk. Place on prepared baking sheet. Drizzle peppers and corn with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Place directly under broiler for 25-30 minutes, rotating the corn halfway through. Broil until the peppers are covered with black blisters and the corn has lightly browned kernels. Remove from oven and let corn cool. Wrap peppers tightly in aluminum foil, or place inside of a paper bag and close tightly. Place inside of a bowl to catch any juices that might spill out for about 10-15 minutes. The steam will help the skins peel off more easily. Remove one pepper at a time. Using a paper towel, rub the skins off and discard. If you have trouble removing the skins, then steam the peppers a bit longer. Chop peppers. Once corn is cooled, cut off kernels, reserving one ear for the salsa.

3. Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth, or if you prefer, a little chunky. Taste it. Add more chipotle powder if you'd like some extra heat. Return soup to pot and heat on stovetop for 7-10 minutes before serving.

4. For the salsa, combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Garnish each bowl of soup with 1-2 tablespoons of salsa.

Your picture actually looks like hominy on top of the soup, not corn. I love both, but I see hominy so infrequently in recipes that I was really excited for a minute. Then I read the recipe and it sounds sooooo good that I'm even more excited. I'm definitely going to have to try this. One question, though -- it calls for chipotle powder. I don't have that, but I do have some canned chipotles in adobo sauce. For 3/4 tsp, could I just use one pepper instead? I like heat, so I'd be likely to end up adding a little more anyway.

While I love roasted peppers I no longer can stand the lingering smell in the house so now I only roast mine on the grill. Simply slice into flat pieces and lay skin side down on a smoking hot grill until they are blackened. Great results - no smell!

I roast mine outdoors on the grill, but still the aroma lingers when you bring them indoors. Never did roast them early in the morning, but I can imagine it's not what you want first things when you are half awake. But that soup, on the other hand, looks divine. It reminds me of a yellow pepper soup I used to eat in Florence at Cibreo.

I totally agree that taking the slow way is rewarding! The soup looks fantastic. Tonight, the corn bread is tickling my appetite. I recently moved from the South and have been craving cornbread! I never thought that would happen. Thanks for the roasting tips and recipes!

Here is a handy tip: for those that complaint about the smells.. here is a simple, inexpensive and sure way to make that smell go-away, you can use it when you fry anything as well - it's that effective

Mix equal parts white vinegar with bleach in a container and place in your kitchen. (and a little goes a long way)

That's it... the smell will disappear in less than you can say "it's .... like magic!" And instead a fresh lingering smell will stay.

PS: and no, the mixture will NOT BLOW Up that will only happen if you mix bleach with ammonia!

If you want to reduce the time it takes to roast peppers, try a really good torch. The technique works very well for bell peppers and poblanos and jalapenos, and Seranos, and with a good torch it is fast enough that one person can char while somebody else washes the char off. There is a demo at: